Tigerpetal Press : Book Review: The Shattering

The Guardians of Ga’Hoole Book 5: The Shattering by Kathryn Lasky

I really liked it

The first big battle against the Pure Ones has been won, so what is their next plan of attack? (I’m still trying to figure out who the owl on the front cover is meant to represent.)

Read: Mar. 13 – Mar. 17, 2025

Genre: Fantasy, Fable
Audience: Children, Middle-grade
Book contains: fire, referenced kidnapping, brainwashing, invented swears, mild gore, death

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More Interiority Than the Previous Books!

Eglantine unwittingly becomes a spy for her brother Kludd as she becomes too friendly with the Pure Ones turnfeather Ginger. Something strange is happening to her gizzard, and her best friend Primrose is the only one who seems to notice the change.

The Guardians have repelled the Pure Ones from their siege, but they’re still out there. Where, no one knows. I found this book a little less interesting than the others thus far, maybe because Eglantine is not my favourite character, maybe because the manipulation is just a bit too heavy-handed.

Differing from the other books, The Shattering makes Eglantine more of a focal character, with Primrose as a close second. Soren and the others are still around, but a lot less of the story involves them until the end. Again, there is a frontispiece, which in this one actually feels like a spoiler because you’re expecting it to come up, though you don’t know exactly when.

I started this book right after the previous one, then took the weekend off, and finished it on Monday.

Eglantine is Soren’s little sister, but I never really thought about how much younger she is than him. She was at least a few days old when Kludd pushed him out of the nest, meaning they can only be a few weeks apart, and yet he seemed much more mature when he was young than she is now, months (maybe even years) after arriving at the Ga’Hoole tree. It’s a bit confusing. Perhaps it has to do with her upbringing, as she was manipulated and brainwashed as a chick, and is therefore more susceptible to such things. She’s quite naïve, but when she trusts her gizzard, she feels her emotions quite passionately. Primrose, as well, shows what it really means to be a good friend.

A lot of this book focuses on the relationship between Eglantine and Primrose and how it’s falling apart because of Ginger, the new Barn Owl. It also heavily focuses on Eglantine and her relationship with grief (particularly her refusal to believe in the death of her parents). Her grasp on reality is tenuous at best in this book; can she snap out of it?

Lasky does well in bringing you into her world of owls. I always enjoy the made-up terms and phrases she incorporates into the text, most of which whose meanings are inferred from context clues. There is a bit of potty humour given the wet poop jokes the owls prefer, and the invented swears such as sprink and frink are comical. Still, when things need to get serious, Lasky’s writing is emotional and intense.

This book moved kind of slowly, probably since it wasn’t very action-based. Nonetheless, it was slightly shorter than the other boos, page-wise, and there was enough mystery and expectation to keep the reader going. You’re constantly wondering if anyone is going to realize what’s happening with Eglantine.

Definitely recommend continuing this series if you want to find out if they finally beat the Pure Ones.

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